(Inspired by: Clair de Lune – Debussy)

Moonlight

Hiding in the shadows of the night, the immortal man watches in awe as a beautiful human girl pours her soul out in the form of an intricate symphony piece. Alec had never been one to resist himself, rather to indulge in the luscious desire to kill; he'd been drawn to her from miles away, her scent calling to him like a siren of the sea. He'd every intention of draining her dry… until he heard the way she could play a piano. It was unlike anything he had ever seen before.

Her eyes rest beneath gently closed lids, dark lashes brushing against her creamy cheeks. Her rose-petal lips part as a sigh passes through her, an expression blank, but revealing so much upon such an angelic face; she doesn't even sense a danger nearby.

He knows he could take her life so easily, so quickly, and by god, he wants to, but it's as if he's become one with the earth beneath his feet as he watches her from the open window. The wind rustles the trees, fluttering the sheer curtains and disturbs her charcoal curls, but the girl is somewhere else; her slender fingers begin to race over the snow-white keys, faster and faster. His crimson irises follow the movements as she plays, irrevocably enchanted. Venom pools in his throat, the urge to take her life overwhelming, but he can't. There's a force that refuses him.

Lingering, he's completely fascinated by the human. She must be a kindred spirit, the passion in her playing fills the air. The natural, smooth motion of her fingers nimbly dancing over each cord with the grace of a swan, but the strength of a bull. Just when he feels himself lost within the music, the tempo slows, the notes growing soft until the final key sings.

He longs to be close to her, ask her to play again, but he cannot. Master wouldn't approve, no, not at all. Rather, he settles to watch her from his hiding place as she stands and runs her magical hands down her silk gown, shimmering in shades of emerald. As another breeze rushes in, she looks toward the window, not realizing she's met the gaze of a vampire. He nearly stumbles from the overwhelming need to possess her as his own, her eyes mirroring the elegant color of her dress. Alec almost steps in to the room, prepared to reap the consequences of turning a mortal of no ability if only to claim her as his until the end of time. Suddenly, the door at the far side of the room swings open.

"Selena? Good gracious, what has you down here? The ball is upstairs."

An older woman stands in the doorway, fists firmly planted on her hips. She's dressed in her fanciest rags, makeup painted on as if she's going to a brothel in an attempt to keep the glow of youth, but it's long faded. Plump with a pointy nose, Alec has no qualms of ending her should she upset the piano goddess in green.

The young girl's cheek flush with a sudden warmth as she runs her hands through her hair. Bowing her head, she curtsies and turns her back to the window.

"My apologies, mother."

The women shakes her head in frustration, reaching a gloved palm out for her daughter's upper arm. Selena winces as the mother yanks her toward the hall and Alec practically leaps from his hiding place to ease her of pain, but the girl turns a glare on the older woman that settles a calm within him that keeps the immortal at bay.

"Come, come, we mustn't waste another moment. There are many people who've come to meet you."

Selena gazes longingly at the piano as her mother drags her out. He watches as she's led away, listening for the gentle click of the door in place. The young vampire leaps in through the window and follows her scent. In the hallway, he pauses to recollect himself. He isn't dressed for such an occasion. Thinking fast, he listens ahead. A young man, about his size, enters the hall and strolls down with a swagger in his step. Alec looks over his attire, from the silk of the tie to the rich material of his slacks; he shall do, he decides, and grabs him. The struggle is futile and the vampire hides within a powder room. His body burns with the desire to feed and he indulges, sinking his teeth in to the warm flesh of the man's throat. The human goes to scream, but he comes to find, he feels not his throat nor his hands or toes. He feels nothing at all until there is nothing left to feel, his life essence filling an immortal with satisfaction.

Wiping the evidence from his chin, Alec quickly undresses and exchanges clothes with the dead man on the floor. Turning to the mirror, he straightens his tie with a grin; a perfect fit, how wonderful. Before going after the human girl, he decides to dump the lifeless body out the window. With no mess, he turns out of the room. Another human waits outside and he offers kind smile, holding the door for the woman. She nods her thanks, a blush rising up her neck as she scurries in to the room.

He continues to search for the green-eyed beauty, allowing the smell of lilies to guide him. He soon finds her; she stands, a long figure, staring out a large window at the full moon that shines a white light upon her. Alec allows himself to finally appreciate all that she is, one so unlike anyone he has met. He pushes a hand through his dark waves to straighten any hairs out of place and then strolls over to her, a smile on his forever young face.

"Good evening," he says warmly.

She turns to look at him, slow and bored until her eyes meet his. The pools of chartreuse seem to darken to a forest in the night. Her soft, pink lips stretch in to a tiny smile, coy yet innocent all at once. She bows her head, dark curls spilling over her shoulder. She curtsies before him, dainty fingers pulling her skirt back ever so slightly. Her voice is light, like a fairy's bell as she looks up from under her lashes.

"Indeed it is, good sir."

The orchestra strikes up a song for romantics, Selena looking to him with a forward glance. Surprised, but pleasantly so at the lack of games, Alec offers his hand to her. Her expression is inviting as she curls her palm over his. He guides her to the dance floor, eyes locked on one another. As they reach the epicenter of the room, they move close. Very close. Her fingers thread through his and rests the other hand on his shoulder as his drops to the small of her back. Moving slowly, they find themselves forming a bubble of seclusion for two. The symphony ends, striking up another slow tune. Half way through, she moves her arms to wind around his neck. Closer. He doesn't mind, tugging her towards her with a gentle pull on her hips.

"May I ask of your name?"

A secretive grin spreads across his full lips as he spins her out. As she goes to twirl back in to his embrace, she closes her eyes to imprint this moment to memory, although she'd been waiting forever for it to come; a dream come true. It ends the moment his hand leaves hers. She opens her eyes to find him gone, evaporated in to thin air. She stops, lips pursed in confusion. She glances at the people spinning around her, the room becoming so much bigger in that moment; his face, amongst many, is nowhere to be seen. Her heart begins to sink with disappointment... had she imagined the whole ordeal?

No, she couldn't possibly. The enchanting man had been very real, she could still feel him against her. His chill was intoxicating, those eyes demented yet ever so magnificent. Finding herself at the edge of the ballroom, her heart races in her chest, excitement and confusion pulsing thorough her veins. For a moment, a pair of crimson eyes passes through her vision. Blinking, she chases them to the doorway and out in to the hall. She glances back at her mother, ensuring she is distracted before following the alluring gaze down the hall to a series of doors. She turns around to see his back as he heads down the staircase toward her bedroom. A warmth spreads through her body, heart threatening to burst. She approaches the first step, apprehension curling in to her stomach, but as she pushes on. At the bottom of the stairs, she hears the glorious sound of her personal symphony. She allows the beautiful music to lead her to her bedroom, the door slightly ajar. Selena pauses, debating whether she should go beyond the threshold.

She peeks between the door and frame, seeing the handsome boy she had been dancing with at the sleek piano. Her heart calms, her body following suit as she quietly steps in to the room. The mystery man appears to hardly notice her, his eyes following his fast hands as he plays the song she had just an hour ago. A soft smile plays along her lips as she takes a seat beside him. His precision is direct, his articulation is one of purpose, his memory... impeccable. She'd taken nearly six months to perfect this and he played as if he'd been born with the notes in his blood. He finishes, eyes closed with a sigh before he turns to her. Her warm, soft palm caresses his cheek, pressing against his icy skin without qualms of its temperature. He smiles, eyes fluttering open to meet hers. It's in that moment she remembers where she heard of beings with eyes of blood, but does not react the way most of her time would.

"You're… a vampire," she says, fascination stealing her voice. Alec holds his breath, unsure of what she'll do next. Their gazes never break. She holds her hand to his face, keeping him steady as her fingertips brush against his cool cheekbone, "Such a beautiful creature."

His eyes flicker over her face, "You're not afraid."

She shakes her head, licking her lips before a smile comes to her face. Small, yet revealing.

"You still have not told me your name."

He can't help himself as he smiles back, "Alec."

"Alec," she murmurs, testing her name upon her tongue. "Alec, dear vampire man, perhaps this too forward of me, but… I've been thinking about how it would feel to kiss you from the moment you approached me in the ball room."

He takes the invitation without hesitation. He leans toward her, brushing his lips against hers. His body reacts in a frenzy, relishing in the feel of her against him. She surprises him yet again as she moves closer, winding her fingers in to his stolen shirt. Their lips part, making way for a deeper kiss. Her heart races, pounding in his ears. He never wants this moment to end as he grasps her hips again, craving more. It lasts a moment longer before she pulls away, breathless.

"I've seen this before… this moment; I've seen it in my dreams."

Alec searches her face, "What do you mean?"

Her cheeks, already a rosy blush, darken. Her sore lips long for another kiss as she goes on. "I see things… people I don't know and places I've never been before. It happens in my sleep; they're dreams that become reality. This was one of them, one I've been waiting for."

He hears her mother upstairs as she begins to question other guests about where her daughter has run off to. Alec sighs, pulling the girl closer to him.

"I must go."

She looks in to his eyes, wanting so much to be like him or perhaps... just to be with him. For years, she's been a slave to her mother's word. She would dance with men she'd never love, sip tea to women who would never be her friends, attend parties of people she would never truly know, and endure etiquette classes that she would never need; her mother did not understand her, and she never would. Selena remembered her father, a lovely man long dead. He'd known of her dreams, the ones of the future and the ones of her desires. He'd bought her a piano at the age of four, knowing she'd grow to find music as her only home. Her passion. Her life... until now.

"Take me with you."

And so, he does. He releases his gift, the invisible mist claiming her senses before he prepares himself for the bite that he must release from. Finding the will power within, he presses his lips to her throat, allowing her for a moment to feel the chill of his mouth. Then, he wraps her completely in blissful peace of sensation loss and dips his teeth in to her fragile skin. She tastes of a lily nectar, sweet and light upon his tongue. He loses himself for a moment, but that is all it takes for him to find the strength within. Alec forces himself to release her, carrying Selena out the window. As he races through the trees, he hears her mother enter the bedroom for a moment, but leave soon after. She would not know until the sun rose that her daughter had left, never to return.

Under the moonlight, they disappear in to the night.